This week
we learned that the Middle East Respiratory Virus (MERS) has appeared in
the USA. Simultaneously, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported
that 240 cases of Ebola have been reported in West Africa, causing 136
deaths.

Both viruses are notoriously lethal. Those infected are likely to die.

Fortunately, neither virus is sufficiently transmissible to create a
massive outbreak. But that could change – if weaponized forms are
developed and released. The worst-case scenario: hundreds of millions or
even billions of deaths, and an end to civilization as we know it.